Case Number 00376

STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME

The Charge

The key to saving the future can be found only in the past.

Opening Statement

The latest addition to the list of Star Trek movies on DVD from Paramount,
this one was the most accessible to the non-Trek crowd, and one of the most
popular overall. The second of the Trek films to be directed by Leonard Nimoy
(Spock, for those who haven't been alive in the last century), the film came at
a time when the cast and crew had hit its stride and felt familiar enough to
indulge in some humor and self-irony. The humor of this "fish out of
water" tale (pun intended) makes it one of the most beloved Trek films to
Trekkers and non-Trekkers alike. My own opinion places it around the middle of
my list of favorite Trek films, but this one is a welcome addition to my
collection, thanks to a spanking new anamorphic transfer and even a couple
extras from Paramount.

The Evidence

All right, I'm a geek. I know far too many bits of minute trivia having to do
with the Star Trek series and films. To be fair, I know a fair amount of
minutiae about a lot of things, being a trivia magnet. But I've been a Trek fan
since the first series aired in 1966, and eagerly awaited each new film as they
came out (right up until the disastrous Star Trek V, that is). Star
Trek II, III, and IV make up a trilogy of sorts, and it is a
shame that Paramount has decided to go in reverse order on getting the films
into release. For those of us who already know the films, this isn't much of an
obstacle to watch IV independently of the others.

For those who haven't seen the prior films, I'll give a short description
that sets up the film. Star Trek IV takes up where the last film left
off, after the crew of the Enterprise had hijacked their aging ship and
taken it on a mission to rescue their friend Spock. The Enterprise
destroyed, the crew is now on Vulcan after rescuing Spock and returning in a
commandeered Klingon Bird of Prey. Here Spock goes through the recovery of
mending his reconciled mind and body. The crew decides to return to Earth to
face charges from Starfleet Command related to hijacking their own ship. Spock
agrees to accompany them, still not fully healed. He has regained his Vulcan
knowledge and logic, but has yet to come to grips with his human side.

But the journey to Earth is interrupted by a new threat to the planet
itself. Some big probe that looks like a big log of beef jerky has arrived, and
the signal it sends out has began vaporizing the oceans and shutting down all
sources of power. Spock figures out the signal is really the song of humpback
whales, after filtering the sound for how it would sound underwater.
Unfortunately the humpbacks are extinct in the 23rd century, and there are none
to answer the probe's message. So the crew falls back on one of the staple plot
devices of the series: time travel. All they have to do is travel back in time,
get some humpback whales, and bring them back to the future so they can tell the
probe to go away. This may sound goofy, but works surprisingly well.

The real highlights of the film though are the scenes of our 23rd century
heroes on the ground in 1986 San Francisco. From the "colorful
metaphors" of Kirk ("And a double dumb-ass on you!") to Scotty
trying to use a 1980s computer ("A keyboard? How quaint!") and Chekov
finding a "nuclear wessel" (the Enterprise, natch) the film
allows the cast to make fun of themselves and let the audience laugh with them.
Even after repeated viewings and so many years these scenes still bring a smile
to my lips. Catherine Hicks, better known now as the wise mother on TV's 7th
Heaven, also puts in a very believable performance as a marine biologist who
cares about the whale's plight.

Fortunately Paramount has given the transfer the attention it deserves. Only
a bit of flecks on the film stock and an image a little soft at times keeps this
from being reference quality. Unlike the poor aspect ratio and matting of the
laserdisc transfer, this is a brand new anamorphic beauty. It will likely never
look better.

The sound track is very nice as well, though not up to the very high quality
of some of the later Trek films. This is still a brand-new Dolby Digital 5.1
track, with an expansive soundstage and a well imaged and surrounding score.
There is a bit less use of directional ambient sound, but still several
noticeable places where it is used accurately. The subwoofer only gets a workout
in a few scenes, but when it does the walls shake.

This time there are even a couple extras! Paramount chose to include the
director's feature from the laserdisc and the trailer. The feature is
noteworthy, getting some nice insight about Nimoy and the shooting of the whale
scenes. I only wish it had lasted longer. The trailer doesn't look nearly as
good as the film, but is anamorphic with Dolby 2.0 sound.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

Well, film wise, certainly there are some dated special effects, and the
usual scientific inconsistencies (everything concerning nuclear power, and how
Scotty can just whip up designs on a 1980s computer with nothing but fast
keystrokes for example) that you've come to expect in all things Star Trek. Some
would bemoan the obvious political correctness about saving the whales. The
latter I wouldn't agree with though; Star Trek has always been a morality play,
and highlighting our own short- sightedness about killing off species fits into
that category.

Disc-wise, as usual with Paramount I have to complain about the extras.
Certainly they have taken a baby step in the right direction by including the
director's feature. But why not a commentary by Leonard Nimoy? How about an
outtake reel, or any number of extras, such as cast and crew bios? Star Trek is
arguably Paramount's most profitable and best-loved franchise, and they could do
much better in this department. Hopefully The Search For Spock and The
Wrath of Khan will be full blown special editions, as these two are among
the best of the series.

Closing Statement

This is a welcome addition to the series of Star Trek films on DVD. It is
much better than some of the earlier released versions for picture quality, and
even has an extra feature or two. It is a film I will watch again and again over
the years, and this marks it as a prime candidate for purchase.

The Verdict

Leonard Nimoy is commended for being a very good director, and hopefully will
not remain so underrated. The rest of the cast acquitted themselves well, and
need no such ruling from me. Paramount is given a reprieve for the inclusion of
a couple extras, along with their usual high quality transfer and sound. An
official mention in the record is made, however, that this court expects more in
the extra department in the future.